Local athletes excelling at college level

Sarah Allen (l.) has been named to the Fall All-Academic Team for the New England Small College Athletic Conference. ALL ACADEMIC … The New England Small College Athletic Conference recently announced its 2007 Fall All- Academic Team Selections. Among the 25 Connecticut College student-athletes recognized for their performance in the classroom was junior Sarah Allen of the women's soccer team. To be honored, a student-athlete must have reached junior academic standing and be a varsity letter winner with a cumulative grade point average of at least 3.35.

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BAKER TO MACCABI GAMES ... Holden's Kevin Baker has been selected to represent the United States at the International Maccabi Games December 26 to January 2 in Buenos Aires, Argentina. The Maccabi Games, the Olympics for Jewish athletes, are held every four years. Kevin will be a member of the United States' junior basketball team. The squad is comprised of 14 ballplayers ages 15-16 hailing from all over the United States. It will compete against teams from 17 other countries. Kevin begins training camp December 19 in Philadelphia. He is a sophomore at Gann Academy in Waltham, where he is a member of the varsity basketball and baseball teams. He played baseball and basketball at Mountview Middle School.

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LAKERS BANTAM 2 UPDATE ... The Lakers Bantam 2 team is red hot, having already captured the 2007 Holy Name Ice Breaker Tournament and the Mass. Hockey District 7 Playdowns. The team, 20-2 overall, has qualified for the Mass. State Hockey Tournament slated to begin in March of 2008. Goaltender Conor Jordan of Franklin recently picked up his seventh shutout of the season in leading the Lakers to a 4-0 win over the Midstate Sharks, giving the locals the coveted District 7 Playdown title. Coach Adam Smith and assistants Carl Palmer, Jeff Panarelli, Sean Lorden, and Mike McGeevey attribute the team's success to a well-balanced offensive attack (109 goals), and good team defense (23 goals against), coupled with a strong willingness to play together as a unit, work hard, and be disciplined enough to stay out of the penalty box. The offense is paced by Matt Cusella, Ryan Hamilton, Mike Palmer, Josh Carroll, Pat Lorden, Zack Smith, Chris Benson, Ben Johnson and Michael McGeevey. The defense is led by Jack Doherty, Zachary Knapp, Jeremy Lowell, Kyle Pellerin, Nick Person, and Jon Panarelli.

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O'BRIEN AT ASSABET VALLEY ... Former Wachusett Regional High School athlete Mike O'Brien has been named boys' varsity basketball coach at Assabet Valley. Mike is a Holden native and is the son of former Wachusett boys' varsity basketball coach Brian O'Brien and Worcester high schools athletic director Colleen O'Brien.

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KEENE ATHLETE ... The Keene State College women's swim/dive team took the the 2007 Little East Conference Championships at UMass-Dartmouth's Tripp Center Pool on Saturday. Keene State won its fifth overall and second straight title handily with 605 points. Host UMass-Dartmouth was a distant second with 271 points. Sophomore Kristine Trutor of Holden had a big day for the Owls winning the 100 back (1:02.53) and 200 back (2:18.74).

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HOCKEY FOR ADULTS ... Bay State Hockey is organizing an adult introduction to ice hockey clinic in the Wallace Civic Center at Fitchburg State College for beginners ages 18 and older. The clinic will be held Mondays from 9 to 10:20 p.m. beginning January 7. The program is open to men and women, and is designed to teach the basics of skating and hockey. The first 30 minutes of each weekly class will be dedicated to skills instruction, followed by a 50-minute controlled recreational pick-up game. Each class is run by a professional hockey instructor. Interested skaters may preregister online at www.BayStateHockey. com or by calling 866-HOCKEY-3. The Wallace Civic Center is located at 1000 John Fitch Highway in Fitchburg.

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LACROSSE REGISTRATION ... Wachusett Girls Youth Lacrosse is holding its Spring 2008 registration. The following grade-based divisions are available: 3rd and 4th grade, 5th and 6th grade, and 7th and 8th grade. Teams for 2008 will be determined based on the number of players, and will definitely include competitive teams at all levels. Register online at www.wgyll.com. For more information, e-mail Registrar Julie Scott at jscott311@charter.net. The WGYL, a traveling league with 8-10 regular season games, plays under official girls' lacrosse rules. Games are on Sundays. Home games are in Holden, away games within the I-495 area. The WGYL, a fourth-year program, competes in the Mass. Bay Girls Lacrosse League.